Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Strahd fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Master of the Castle. When Strahd drops to 0 hit points outside his tomb, provided he isn't in sunlight or running water, he instantly teleports to his coffin. He regains all hit points, becomes Darklord Strahd, and immediately equips the gear from The Last Gambit concealed in his crypt's secret vault.
If reduced to 0 hit points again, he returns to his crypt and is magically bound to the catacombs until dawn. Desperate to survive, Vampyr's magic revives him, twisting him into Feral Strahd. If reduced to 0 hit points in this form at the location foretold by the Tarokka reading, he is permanently destroyed.
Regeneration. Strahd regains 20 hit points at the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point. If he takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn.
Spider Climb. Strahd can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weaknesses. Strahd has the following flaws:
Harmed by Running Water. While in running water, Strahd takes 20 acid damage if he ends his turn there, and he can’t use his Change Shape.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While in sunlight, Strahd takes 20 radiant damage at the start of his turn, has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and can’t use his Change Shape bonus action.
Multiattack. Strahd makes two Death Strike attacks. He can replace one of these attacks with Blighted Evocation if available.
Death Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, Strahd can forgo dealing slashing damage; the target then has the grappled condition (escape DC 18) instead. Strahd can grapple only one creature at a time.
Blighted Evocation (Recharge 5–6). Strahd unleashes shadowy energy as either a 20-foot-radius sphere of fire centered on a point he can see within 90 feet, or a 100-foot-long, 5-foot-wide line of lightning extending from himself. Each creature in the area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage (sphere) or 14 (4d6) lightning damage (line), plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Charm. Strahd targets one Humanoid he can see within 30 feet of himself. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or have the charmed condition. The charmed target regards Strahd as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. The target isn’t under Strahd’s control, but it takes Strahd’s requests and actions in the most favorable way.
Each time Strahd or his companions deal damage to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until Strahd is reduced to 0 hit points, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or uses a bonus action to end the effect.
Spellcasting. Strahd casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18):
At will: Detect Thoughts, Fog Cloud, Mage Hand
3/day each: Misty Step, Shield
2/day each: Counterspell, Gust of Wind, Hold Person, Mirror Image. Nondetection, Silence
1/day each: Animate Dead, Animate Objects, Blight, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Mislead
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that has the charmed or grappled condition. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Strahd regains a number of hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. A Humanoid slain in this way and then buried rises the following night as a vampire spawn under Strahd’s control.
Change Shape. Strahd transforms into a new form or back into his true form. Anything he is wearing transforms with him, but nothing he is carrying does. He reverts to his true form if he dies. When transforming into a new form, Strahd chooses one of the following options:
Beast Form. Strahd transforms into a Tiny bat (flying speed 30 ft.) or a Medium wolf (speed 40 ft.). While in that form, he can’t speak, and he retains his game statistics other than his size and speed.
Mist Form. Strahd transforms into a Medium cloud of mist. While in this form, Strahd has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. While in mist form, Strahd can pass through a space without squeezing as long as air can pass through that space, but he can’t pass through water. Strahd has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and he is immune to all nonmagical damage except the damage he takes as part of his Vampire Weaknesses trait. While in mist form, Strahd can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects.
Strahd can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Strahd regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Cunning Escape. Strahd moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Fog Cloud. Strahd casts fog cloud (concentration, up to 1 hour), creating a 20-foot-radius sphere of heavily obscured fog centered on a point within 120 feet of him. The fog spreads around corners and lasts for the duration or until dispersed by a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 mph).
Strike (Costs 2 Actions). Strahd makes one Death Strike attack.
Bite (Costs 2 Actions). Strahd makes one Bite attack.
Description
Overview and History
With his mind sharp and his heart dark, Strahd von Zarovich is the formidable Darklord of Barovia, a Domain of Dread. Courage and lives beyond measure have been lost to him. Little happens in his realm without his knowledge, though he rarely deigns to pay attention to the uninteresting dealings of lesser beings—instead spending his days terrorizing the populace and savoring the fear and worship he commands. (See Chapter 1, “Into the Mists,” for a deeper look into his personality and goals.)
-
Mortal Life: In life, Strahd was a prince, soldier, and conqueror whose unquenchable thirst for power and youth led him to make a dark pact with the Dark Powers for immortality.
-
The Fall: Driven by a jealous rage over his brother Sergei's betrothed, Tatyana, Strahd murdered Sergei and slaughtered the castle's wedding guests. Tatyana escaped him by leaping from the castle walls, vanishing into the Mists just as Strahd was transformed into a vampire.
-
Eternal Torment: Trapped in Barovia by the Dark Powers, Strahd is endlessly tormented by his inability to escape his domain, his recurring loss of Tatyana's reincarnated soul, and his eternal damnation.
-
Whereabouts: Although Strahd can be encountered almost anywhere in his domain, he is always found in the specific location indicated by the tarokka card reading in Chapter 1, unless he has been forced into his tomb in the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft.
Combat Tactics
Because the entire adventure revolves around Strahd, he must be played intelligently as a terrifying, cunning, and psychological adversary:
-
Advantageous Engagement: Strahd never fights fair. He always attacks at the most advantageous moment and from the most advantageous position.
-
Strategic Retreat: Strahd knows when he is in over his head. If the party breaches his defenses and he begins taking more damage than he can naturally regenerate, he moves beyond the reach of melee combatants and spellcasters or flies away—using fog cloud, summoned wolves, or swarms of bats and rats to screen his escape while he rests to recharge his defenses.
-
Psychological Warfare: Strahd observes the party to see who among them is most easily swayed. He targets characters with low Wisdom scores, charms them, and uses them as thralls—at the very least ordering charmed characters to defend him against their own companions.
The Heart of Sorrow
Strahd can afford to be bold—even reckless—in his tactics because of the protection granted by the Heart of Sorrow, a giant crystal heart hidden deep inside Castle Ravenloft (Chapter 4, Area K20: North Tower Peak).
-
The Illusion of Invincibility: To the players, the Heart's protection is chilling to behold and makes Strahd appear completely immortal. Every horrific, high-damage blow they land is instantly undone: a critical hit might dislocate Strahd's jaw, only for it to violently snap back into place a moment later; charred flesh knits itself whole; and severed veins reattach before the blood hits the floor. While the Heart absorbs the damage, he shows zero visible fatigue or wear and tear, shattering player morale and making initial combat attrition feel hopeless.
-
Relentless Ward (50 HP Per Hour): While linked to the Heart of Sorrow, any damage Strahd takes is transferred to the Heart instead, which has a pool of 50 hit points. If the Heart is reduced to 0 hit points, it is not destroyed—any remaining damage carries over to Strahd's normal hit points, and the ward is temporarily depleted. The Heart fully recharges back to 50 hit points in 1 hour, whenever Strahd takes the equivalent of a short rest, allowing him to repeatedly engage the party at full strength during hit-and-run tactics.
-
Link Controls: Strahd can break his link to the Heart of Sorrow as a bonus action on his turn (often done to preserve the Heart's remaining hit points, or to feign vulnerability and bait the party into overextending). He can reestablish his link as a bonus action on his turn, though he must be inside Castle Ravenloft to do so.
-
Counterplay and Vulnerability: Because the Heart recharges whenever Strahd retreats to rest for an hour, the party has three ways to bypass this barrier:
-
Overwhelm and Pursue: Burst through all 50 of the Heart's hit points in a single encounter and relentlessly press the attack before Strahd can slip away for 1 hour to recharge it.
-
Destroy the Source: Travel to the North Tower Peak (Area K20) and physically shatter the crystal Heart itself (which has an AC of 15 and 50 HP, regenerating back to full HP after 1 hour if not reduced to 0 HP and destroyed on the spot).
-
Suppress the Magic: Trap either Strahd or the Heart of Sorrow fully within an antimagic field, which immediately suppresses their telepathic link and prevents damage transfer while the field remains active.
The Vampire’s Minions
Whenever Strahd appears in a location other than his tomb (Area K86) or the place indicated by the tarokka card reading, he is rarely alone. Roll a d20 and consult the table below to determine what summoned forces accompany him to screen his movements and overwhelm the party:
-
| Strahd confronts the party alone, relying on stealth, charm, and the Heart of Sorrow. |
Lair and Lair Actions
While Strahd is in Castle Ravenloft, he can take lair actions as long as he isn’t incapacitated.
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Strahd can take one of the following lair action options, or forgo using any of them in that round.
- Until initiative count 20 of the next round, Strahd can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if they weren’t there.
- Strahd targets any number of doors and windows that he can see, causing each one to either open or close as he wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (needing a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until Strahd chooses to end the effect, or until Strahd uses this lair action again.
- Strahd summons the angry spirit of one who has died in the castle. The apparition appears next to a hostile creature that Strahd can see, makes an attack against that creature, and then disappears. The apparition has the statistics of a specter.
- Strahd targets one Medium or smaller creature that casts a shadow. The target’s shadow must be visible to Strahd and within 30 feet of him. If the target fails a DC 17 Charisma saving throw, its shadow detaches from it and becomes a shadow that obeys Strahd’s commands, acting on initiative count 20. A greater restoration spell or a remove curse spell cast on the target restores its natural shadow, but only if its undead shadow has been destroyed.
Previous Versions
| Name | Date Modified | Views | Adds | Version | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
11/8/2026 7:52:18 PM
|
19
|
0
|
--
|
Coming Soon
|
Comments